Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1887-04-09

MEXICAN MANNERS.
CHARACTERISTIC GESTURES ANc
eALLAN1RiEs OF THE PEOPLE
p..n,,.r Method Of shrugsing the shenl'
,-Hov wealth 10 Indicsted-A sisn
c-..t,n~-H.nd shaking-A Faro
vell-Clappins tho Hands,
The Mexicans are adopts at expressing
themselves by means Of signs and gestules
40 many of them exhibit a courtly grace
md nrofound gallantry which, II amusing
- foreigner. is also worthy Of admlrauon'
A l.dv who has Travelled in all parts OF the
renuhIic and made q study of these national
racnliarities recently described them TO your
r~orrasnondent, and many of her observation
were very interesting. She said:
aWhen anv one falls down it is customary
n call ont: Come here and I'll pick you up,
~ to exnress the same sentiment by q gest'
ure. The hand is held up vertically, palm
outward. about level with the face. Thu
fnpers are then bent down rapidly and in the
direction Of the person addressed, the motion
being directly the reverse of reckoning. Toss
inc the chin upward does not imply annoy
anee. as in most countries, or simply no, as in
MANY European countries. 1t is simply an
EQUIVALENT in Mexico for what do you
wantY or Il don't understand Foreigners
who try to rid themselves of the importunl'
ties of beggars by this signal, naturally IN
crease their trials rather than bring them 10
a speedy termination.
The Mexican of refinement has a very Pc
culiar method of struggling his shoulders. He
raises his shoulders slightly, stretches his
arms down at his sides, hands open and
palms out, places his head a trif1e on one side,
| uplifts his eyebrows and pulls his mouth
down at the corners. These elaborate mo-
tons signify doubt, uncertainty, a difference
| of opinion or Il told you so.' This is the FASH
| ionable manner of expressing triumph on be-
ing proved correct in regard to a prophecy or
an argument.
INDICATIONS OF wEALTH
"Instead of tapping the pocket to indicate
money or its influence. the Mexican holds up
his thumb and forefnger, curved as if en-
circliifg a coin. The token or threat of cor.
poral punishment is q slight, lateral, hori-
zontal movement of the hand, similar to the
turn it takes in the act of beating eggs with .
fork. The phrase a screw loose is illus
trated by a boring motion of the index
finger against the temple, but indicating not
an alteration of the mind, as with Amer.
leans, but of the temper. When a Mexican
wishes to denote a lot of people he brings to-
gether the tips of all the fingers of one hand,
to represent crowding. The first time I ever
saw this gesture-the holding up Of the hand
vertically, and thrusting it forward two or
three times with a repellant or protesting mo-
tion-was at a party, where a lady who had
held another1s fan during a dance offered to
return it, when the owner, seeing that her
friend was using the little implement Of
challenge. insisted that she retain it. Not q
word was spoken-the hand said it all. The
anne gesture is used to imply: Keep your
seat DO not disturb YOURSELF and the Ike.
"There is a sign of greeting used in the
City of Mexico and the southern part of the
republic that I have never seen in the north
nor on the western slope, where the bow still
rules. At the capital an acquaintance,
whether gentleman or lady, in saluting one of
either sex, lifts the open hand, palm toward
ones self, and wave the fingers, or often
only the two middle ones. It rather startles
q foreigner at first, but it is really a very
pretty and graceful mode of greeting. I have
observed that it is most used when saluting
from a little distance, as across the street,
and it no doubt came into use because of the
density of traffic, in which the bow might
pass unperceived.
"The Mexicans are very much given to
hand shaking, and they are eminently a
friendly and cordial race. It is the fashion
among Americans to call their p~oliteness
superficial and insincere. I have not found it
SO, but l do admit that its formality is at |
times a little inconvenient. For instance, |
when one is in haste to catch a train or meet
an appointment, one cannot rush away with
a hasty so long, It would violate the con-
v~entionalities to depart without exchanging
the customary elaborate farewells with each
individual member Of the circle. Then, in
passing through door, there is almost i'm
variably a contest Of courtesy as to who shall
60 first.
FAREWELL DEMONSTRATION.
1.-THE proper demonstration Of farewell be-
tween Mexican women is the light embrace,
emphasized in the north by each patting with
her right hand the others shoulder; ir the
City of Mexico and thereabouts by a kiss on
cheek. Between women and men, a
bow and a handshake, or the bow alone, il
the correct thing, although in the interior the
provincials employ at meeting and parting a
modified form of the embrace, between per-
sons of the opposite as well as of the same
Sex. More than once my breath has been
taken away by a handsome young hacendado
meeting me literally with open arms. To my
there is nothing prettier than this en-
brace, and the warm heared p~almadita, or
pat on the back, between two men who are
particularly between an old man and
q young man.
"Handclapping is very common in Mexico,
in its oriental sense of summos,ing. It is
difficult to account for all the peculiarities of
Mexlcans in the matter of gestures and man
aers. Some of their excessive gallantry is
a copy from, and improvement on,
The French, and this handclapping is clearly
derived from the Moors through the Span
ards. 1t is recognized as a call all over the
republic, although about the national capital
t has been pretty well supplanted by a pecu-
lar, dlsagreeable sound-pst-t-! which always
'ets my teeth on edge. I believe his about
'xhausts the gestures Of general usage: of
course there are infinitely numerous signs of
peclal and arbitrary significance. The Mex
cans. as a rule, are adopts at expression by
his means.
"As have already touched on motions and
manifestations not strictly to be classed as
might strain point and put in the
list the performance which, from its
regularity and monotony, is known as
'aclendo Ell oso, or, playing the bear and
Vhlch means the fixed promenade of an en-
'mored youth over a Short beat. before ~
'eneath the window Of the adored object. in
Vhlch ne spends as many hours a day as his
elsure will permit. Cor. Globe Democrat.
Orc Discovered by Electricity. .
Leadville is excited over a new electric in
1cator hat is used to determine the location. ]
ON surface observations, Of underground I
llneral bodies. 1t IS the invention of a
romlnent electrician of Boston. and is con- I